Happy 27th birthday Daddy!

Yesterday, my baby daddy turned 27. I love rubbing it in that he is a lot closer to 30 then I am. I think for the most part it just puts more gray hairs on his head..hahaha. It was an awesome day..we did some Christmas shopping, ate a nice dinner at Provinos, and ate a huge cupcake that I made just for him!

Al and his babies!!! Getting ready to go birthday and Christmas shopping!

Proof I was going too and not just taking pictures the whole time. My bambinos and I.
The GIANT cupcake I made Al for his bday. It tasted a lot better then it looked. I think Martha Stewart and Paula Dean got me beat on cakes..DARN IT! Haha.

Carter wanting to help blow out the candles. He even sang happy birthday to his daddy!

Make a wish!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY! I LOVE YOU!

Happy Thanksgiving

This year we decided to do Thanksgiving at our house. It was my first time ever baking my own turkey and cooking some yummy traditional sides. Paw-paw came over and ate with us and then we went downtown to see the Lawrenceville tree lighting. My little Turkeys also had a blast. We have so much to be thankful for but most important we have each other! Happy Thanksgiving to all our family we could not share this day with!

Paw-paw cutting my what was a beautiful baked bird..haha. I still have difficulty cutting it just right.

The beautiful table full of yummy food. It sure is exhausting when you are the only one cooking. Oh wait, Al opened the can of cranberries.

See, Martha Stewart and Paula Dean "ain't got nuttin" on me..hahaha.

Paw-paw and Layla!

Carter decided to show paw-paw his dinosaur collection instead of wanting to eat his plate of food...typical.

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving from my little Turkeys!! We hope everyone has a very blessed day and eats lots of good food!!!

Carter displaying his adorable Thanksgiving sheet that he made for Mama and Daddy! It has his little hand print and a little poem next to it. What a sweet little keepsake!

Layla and her little turkey hand prints! So precious!

Saying hello to everyone on camera.

This is one little girl that is already for Turkey day!

It is clear that someone is thankful for juice..haha!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

So true...

My mom use to have these framed poems that went in each of our rooms that talk about the special order of your children so I decided to do the same for my children in each of their rooms.

For Carter:

Dear First born:
I've always loved you best because you were our first miracle. You were the genesis of a marriage and the fulfillment of young love. You sustained us through the hamburger years, the first apartment, our first mode of transportation (1955 Feet), and the seven-inch TV we paid on for 36 months. You were new, had unused grandparents, and enough clothes for a set of triplets. You were the original model for a mom and dad who were trying to work the bugs out. You got the strained lamb, the open safety pins and three-hour naps. You were the beginning!

For Layla:

Dear Middle Child:
I've always loved you the best because you drew a tough spot in the family and it made you stronger for it. You cried less, had more patience, wore faded hand-me-downs, and never in your life did anything first. But it only made you more special. You were the one we relaxed with, who helped us realize a dog could kiss you and you wouldn't get sick. You could cross a street by yourself long before you were old enough to get married. And you helped us understand the world wouldn't collapse if you went to bed with dirty feet. You were the child of our busy, ambitious years. Without you, we never could have survived the job changes and the tedium and routineness that is marriage.

And..........................................last but not least......................................................................

NO I am not pregnant (thank god) but at some point would love to have a third child to share this with as our baby.

For not yet conceived child (that will be a loooooooong time):

For my baby:
I've always loved you best because while endings are generally sad, you are such a joy!! You readily accepted the mild-stained bibs, the lower bunk, the cracked baseball bat, the baby book that had nothing written in it except a recipe for graham-cracker pie crust that someone had jammed between the pages. You are the one we held on to so tightly. You darken our hair, quicken our steps, squared our shoulders, restored our vision, and give us a sense of humor that security, maturity, and durability can't provide. When your hairline takes on the shape of Lake Erie and your own children tower over you, you will still be our baby!!!

2010 Cousin Holiday Video

Since last year's holiday video we have had a new edition: Layla Nicole..so we had to update the Hardin cousin holiday video! I found this one and thought it was too cute and hilarious. Too bad there wasn't a head slot for papa Craig this year haha.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Pierced Ears

Today Al and I took little miss Layla to get her ears pierced. We figured better now then when she is older and can mess with them. I was fifteen months when I got mine done and still have the same holes as I did when I was that age. All little girls want their ears pierced at some point!

Just a few tears right after we got it done. She took it like a grown women..haha. Classic 14 carat silver studs..always a classic.

Pretty girl showing off her new studs!

We cheered up real quick once we got home and had our bottle and nap. Now she is ready to go and show off her new ears!

1/2 Birthday

Today my sweet little angel turned six months old! Where has all the time gone? It seems like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital. At six months, Layla is taking a serious interest in table food, loves to be held (ALL THE TIME!!!!), is quite the little chatter box, wants to be like her big brother, loves her daddy, and loves to be read too. Like her brother, she is an awesome baby! Where did we get two awesome kids and get so lucky both times? Layla has quite the personality for such a little person. She is very sweet, super cuddly, and loves to laugh. Don't get it twisted though, she can be quite the pistol as well. Here are a few pictures of her 1/2 birthday.

Happy baby on her 1/2 birthday!

Such a little princess in her gown and hat!

We celebrated today with a stage two favorite of her brothers when he was a baby. The famous "Apple Delight".

Loving her candle!

Loving on my little 1/2 birthday girl.

Daddy and his little princess. She loves her daddy that is for sure.

So far Layla, it has been a great six months. We can't imagine our lives without you and we are so blessed to have such an adorable, sweet, healthy, and precious little princess. We love you so very much! XOXO

Visit with Nana

This weekend we made the trip up to Walhalla to see Bev and John. We had a ton of fun visiting and of course eating! We also went and visited Al's grandma who has been having a real hard time since her surgery. It was great getting to see her and she enjoyed visiting with the munchkins as well. I think we will be back real soon to see everyone again!

Nana and Layla. John enjoying his breakfast behind them..haha.

Nana and John playing with Layla.

Nana and her little boy!

Carter excited that he had some new turf to explore. Not to mention he enjoyed watching Toy Story for the 11th time. I think we all had it memorized by the time the weekend was over.


Happy boy enjoying his Sunday breakfast. It was such a great visit and a nice get away from all the Atlanta traffic.

Christmas photo shoot gone WRONG

I got the new photo shop for my laptop since I love photographing my little turkeys so much and decided to attempt some possible Christmas card photos. I guess I should of realized that two hungry and tired children would not have been much in the picture mood..haha. As you can very well see...

Carter said it was the Santa longtall that was bothering him..hahaha.

The red dress that Layla is in above the one I wore for my 1st Christmas.

Two tired kids tired of pictures. I think Christmas card pictures will be for a different night.

Carter in the background more interested in the music box.

Yeah definitely an unsuccessful picture night. These two little ones were ready to hit the sack.

1st trip to the ER

This past Saturday, my poor baby girl had to go to the Gwinnett Medical ER for a 102.6 fever and a continuing cough that she has had for three months. I don't know if y'all remember but she was diagnosed with what they thought was RSV a few months ago. After taking her to her pediatrician several times and being told she had a cold or complications from the RSV, I decided to make her an appointment with a pediatric pulmonologist to treat the continuing cough that was scheduled for this Friday. At the ER we learned that not only did she have a bilateral ear infection, she also had right middle lobe pneumonia. Lets just say I wore my welcome out on the phone at their pediatrician's office (that we have now fired) real quick.

My sweet baby undressed trying to get her fever to go down.

Fever finally broke and after having her blood drawn, her urine drawn out by catheter, and a chest x-ray..this poor little baby was wore out. Finally some relief after some antibiotics and some abuterol.

I had my Air Force drill this weekend and it killed me to go back to work on Sunday but I knew she was in good hands with her daddy.


Finally some color back in her face. She is actually doing a lot better. She saw their NEW pediatrician today and was released back to daycare. She is following up with the pulmonologist on Friday!

Visit from Mimi

My mom came down and surprised the kids this evening and Carter was so excited to her. I was able to capture a video of the visit.

Before school photo shoot!!!

These pics were taken the other day before school! What a precious little girl!

Silly head band my friend made for her. It is a little big but ended up being pretty cute!

Layla's "I didn't do it face"..haha.

She knows she is pretty stinkin cute!

Striking a pose!

A-Choooooo

Today my little man stayed home sick from school which meant I was home too. He started with a cough and runny nose this past weekend and last night all that was followed by a ugly fever. With some apple juice, Tylenol, Toy Story, and sleeping into nine o'clock...I think someone might be feeling a little better.

Poor little guy! He was extra sweet and cuddly this morning (which can be rare with a two year old)

I think this weather change literally has everyone "down".

Whining for some juice. Not much of an appetite but always room for some AJ.

Ahh much better. Binky and AJ!

After some much needed rest and Tylenol, Carter started feeling a lot better. I think he has a good old fashioned cold.

November Already!

Unwinding after Halloween last night sure was exhausting for this mama. I think last night was the latest the munchkins have ever been up since they were both born (I have every intention of making it their last for a while). Although some of you may think 10:00 o'clock is not late, it is very late when both your children are use to being in bed by 7:30. It is hard to believe it is already November..Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. Here are some pics of the kids unraveling after school today. It was definitely a early night for this Hardin household.

Layla already has her shoes kicked off with the help of her brother and it looks as if she is working on her tights.

Carter decided that he would not help Layla any further and decided that Thomas was calling his name louder then his sister.

Someone not very amused and waiting on me to put the camera down and get her..maybe in a few minutes.

Happy boy eating his dinner. I am wondering if he was actually happy or tired happy (there is a BIG difference).

Ah yes..someone a little more in better spirits now that she had a jar of peas.

This is the "I am ready for my milk face". Testing 1..2..3..

I definitely think this picture answered my question above..he was "tired happy"..haha.

What a tiring Monday!